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The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously May 19 to approve sending a request to the governor to enter into the accelerated stage 2 of reopening businesses and services in Ventura County.

It approved the variance request after Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin attested that the state’s criteria for accelerated reopening in Stage 2 have been met.

Levin said he expected the state to move quickly in giving its approval for more businesses and services to reopen after the attestation is received in the governor’s office today.

Dr. Levin's attestation of the county of Ventura meeting the state's criteria can be viewed at the start of the special meeting at about 2 hours and 53 minutes into the meeting.

Dr. Levin described at the meeting what entering "accelerated phase 2" will mean for Ventura County:

Levin said that on May 13, county Public Health allowed curbside retail in the county, along with personal services such as carwashing, pet grooming, tanning facilities, landscape gardening, office-based businesses, child care, outdoor museums and open galleries.

"These are all things that have helped our economy," he said. "We have triggers for modifications."

What will be new then if we get to accelerated Phase 2?

Levin continued: Restaurants will be allowed to open "with limited seating and with careful attention to social distancing. He added, "We will have indoor shopping in many of the businesses in our county with decreased density and with social distancing.

"We will likely have modified K-12 school opening in the fall. We are waiting for state guidelines for this. The devil is in the details. I would like to see this happen, so I’m going to do my best to interpret …. to allow in-school education, though modified, in the fall.

"If this variance is approved by your board, it will be submitted today. This is an attestation. An attestation is basically a self-declaration. … We have met all of these responsibilities. I believe we do meet all the requirements of the state. I can attest that we merit this.

"I have to say, at this point, is to thank the people of our county because getting to this point is due to our public, is due to the hard efforts, the responsibilities and sacrifices. They are the heroes here.

"With businesses opening, there’s, a caution because there are more opportunities for gathering. We have to be more responsible than we have been even before. It does not mean quarantine is over just because you’ve been allowed to got to a restaurant or a business. We have to be very responsible for ourselves and we have to be politely responsible to those around us so this continues to be a team effort in protecting all of our health."Spend money if you can afford to do so. Spend it locally in our county. Aggressively support failing and borderline businesses with your spending. Target your spending. Put spending pressure on them, so that they are forced to rehire because that’s what we want to see in our county. I am hoping your board will support this variance to Phase 2 and send this over to the state.

"I have high confidence that with the board's support that this will move through the state fairly rapidly. I would urge those businesses with curbside to determine how to welcome people back safely. I encourage restaurants to do the same. I expect this will move through state with almost breathtaking speed."

To view the Ventura County government's official documents to the state regarding its roadmap to reopening, visit:

County review letter for attesting state criteria for advanced reopening met: